Take a look at my plans & answer me a couple Qs

[speeb]

I can't be the only one who is tweaking dining plans week after week, right? I've made so many changes... But I feel like I'm getting closer to locking it all in and being satisfied. Here's what I have currently - (*) are my keepers.

Oh, me, wife, my mom, kids ages 4, 7, 9.

Coral Reef - arrival day dinner. Figure we can hit the Sea, Land, and Imagination pavilions to give us more time in WS later.

Crystal Palace (*) - PPO or 10:30 if park hours change.

Chef Mickey - dinner. Would likely be the same day as CP if I keep it.

Hollywood & Vine (*) - dinner. Mostly a keeper for the Halloween costumes. We'll be in WDW for Halloween, but are skipping the party.

Akershus (*) - PPO. So help me if they add EMH...oh, and I most certainly intend to enjoy this meal and wouldn't skip it for a ride.

Saana (*) - date night dinner with just the wife.

Tusker House - Definitely want to eat here, but not sure which meal. Right now I have ADRs for dinner and a 10:30 breakfast. Thoughts? Preferences?

Be Our Guest - PPO. Won't drop this unless we decide to do lunch and can get a table. Unlikely.

My questions then... Which Tusker meal would you choose? Breakfast or dinner? Right now I'm leaning toward breakfast.

I'm thinking about dumping Chef Mickey. We cover the characters with the other meals, mostly, and I'd REALLY like to try Skipper Canteen. Honestly, aside from atmosphere, I wouldn't be missing out, right?

Is Coral Reef a decent place? The kids love wildlife, so it looks great. I wouldn't want to go too far into WS, so my only other thought was Rose & Crown.

At times in this planning, I've also thought about Tony's, BOG dinner and/or lunch, 'Ohana breakfast on departure day... It's overwhelming.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I've always enjoyed our meals at the Crystal Palace. I've eaten breakfast, lunch and dinner there. The atmosphere and characters are terrific, and the food has always been fine for us.

Chef Mickey's is all about the characters and with your other character meals, especially H&V, you can skip it. I may do the H&V Halloween dinner myself. Sounds super cute. My nephew is eating there next week with the summer theme, and I want to hear his opinion before I commit.

I didn't love my meal at Coral Reef, but the atmosphere was fun and unique enough that I'd try it again. The dessert I had was memorable--a Jack Daniel's mousse thing.

I've never eaten at Tusker House. I booked a breakfast there one time because reviews I read at the time spoke of fresh, hot donuts, and that is something my family would like. But we overslept.

Wishing you and your family a magical trip.

 

[henry72]

I would do Tusker House breakfast. At 10:30 you will be able to get lunch too when it changes over so best of both worlds at the price of a breakfast. (We are doing this in November. Before we have only eaten there for lunch.) Because it doesn't get great reviews and you will see the characters at other meals, I would ditch Chef Mickey.

It has been years since we did Coral Reef but I think it still is an interesting place that kids will like. (Mine just don't like much on the menu or we would have an ADR there too.)

 

[gigem_aggies]

We did Coral Reef last year and really enjoyed it! My husband had their special of the day and it was a whole fish--head, eye, and ALL! Not my cup o' tea, but he said it was delicious.

 

[bumbershoot]

Tuskwr: lunch or dinner when the food is interesting. Breakfast was a waste and no different than any other breakfast. Due to ingredients we can't eat Krispy Kreme and that's what they have there.

Watch for park opening time to change for your PPO BOG. If it changes, there goes your PPO time.

We found Coral Reef to be awful. The current vegetarian dish intrigues me, but when we were there the place smelled so strongly of fish it was unpleasant.

There are very few people who go to Chef Mickey for the food. And to me there's no real atmosphere either so what's the point?

I'd go to the Wave for food and Contemporary goodness.

 

[Nancyg56]

I'd keep Coral Reef. It is hit or miss, but then that can happen at most DIsney restaurants.

I would ditch CM. I like it, and we generally go there on arrival night if we have little ones with us, but you have already got a lot of characte meals with the same lineup. I'd keep TH and H&V.

You are heavy on buffet, IMO. I like buffet, but if you cancel CM, I would chose a regular TS meal in exchange. If you do decide. To keep CM and on a CP day, that is one heavy food day.

 

[Aliceacc]

We love the Coral Reef.

We also love Tusker House Breakfast. And, like you, we have 10:30 ADRs. We did that last trip, and they were turning the buffet over to lunch, so it became a brunch... starting with breakfast choices and ending with lunch.

We also have Crystal Palace PPO, that's a first for us this year.

We're doing Chef Mickeys dinner on our first night; it's a tradition for us.

If you can get BOG dinner, do so. It's our new favorite. And meeting with the Beast is so cool.

We didn't love H&V the one time we ate there. It was decent enough, but there are so many other places we've enjoyed more.

Akerhus breakfast is another keeper. My kids were never too adventurous as eaters, so they got to see the princesses while still having familiar breakfast foods.

For departure day, consider Cape May. It's one more shot at seeing the characters, and it's q 5 minute walk to Epcot.

 

[speeb]

Chef Mickey's is all about the characters and with your other character meals, especially H&V, you can skip it.
Wishing you and your family a magical trip.

That's kind of the way I'm leaning. Originally I had CM for our arrival day dinner, but decided to hit Epcot instead. Thanks!

I would do Tusker House breakfast. At 10:30 you will be able to get lunch too when it changes over so best of both worlds at the price of a breakfast.

TH is one of the places I'm most interested in. Another advantage to the earlier time is not being tied down to anything as the day wears on.

We did Coral Reef last year and really enjoyed it! My husband had their special of the day and it was a whole fish--head, eye, and ALL! Not my cup o' tea, but he said it was delicious.

We live in Maine where fresh seafood grows on trees... well... you know what I mean. And it's mostly wasted on me as I only eat it once or twice a year. But the menu looks pretty good.

Watch for park opening time to change for your PPO BOG. If it changes, there goes your PPO time.

Ha. That's why I have 2 CP breakfasts booked. I planned a 10:30 with 8AM opening, then they moved the EMH to AK. Thankful I was able to get the 8:00.

You are heavy on buffet, IMO. I like buffet, but if you cancel CM, I would chose a regular TS meal in exchange. If you do decide. To keep CM and on a CP day, that is one heavy food day.

Agreed. I think I grabbed the CM just because I wanted to have that option. I think I'll swap it out for Skipper Canteen though. The place looks great and the kids love the look of the chocolate volcano dessert.

We also love Tusker House Breakfast. And, like you, we have 10:30 ADRs. We did that last trip, and they were turning the buffet over to lunch, so it became a brunch... starting with breakfast choices and ending with lunch.

Thanks! I think I will keep the 10:30 rather than the later one, though that means I really need to rethink my whole morning plan. I guess hit the safari right off and just mill around a bit.

Really appreciate the thoughts and feedback everyone! It really helps to unmuddle everything.

 

[LovesTimone]

I can't be the only one who is tweaking dining plans week after week, right? I've made so many changes... But I feel like I'm getting closer to locking it all in and being satisfied. Here's what I have currently - (*) are my keepers.

Oh, me, wife, my mom, kids ages 4, 7, 9.

Coral Reef - arrival day dinner. Figure we can hit the Sea, Land, and Imagination pavilions to give us more time in WS later.

Crystal Palace (*) - PPO or 10:30 if park hours change.

Chef Mickey - dinner. Would likely be the same day as CP if I keep it.

Hollywood & Vine (*) - dinner. Mostly a keeper for the Halloween costumes. We'll be in WDW for Halloween, but are skipping the party.

Akershus (*) - PPO. So help me if they add EMH...oh, and I most certainly intend to enjoy this meal and wouldn't skip it for a ride.

Saana (*) - date night dinner with just the wife.

Tusker House - Definitely want to eat here, but not sure which meal. Right now I have ADRs for dinner and a 10:30 breakfast. Thoughts? Preferences?

Be Our Guest - PPO. Won't drop this unless we decide to do lunch and can get a table. Unlikely.

My questions then... Which Tusker meal would you choose? Breakfast or dinner? Right now I'm leaning toward breakfast.

I'm thinking about dumping Chef Mickey. We cover the characters with the other meals, mostly, and I'd REALLY like to try Skipper Canteen. Honestly, aside from atmosphere, I wouldn't be missing out, right?

Is Coral Reef a decent place? The kids love wildlife, so it looks great. I wouldn't want to go too far into WS, so my only other thought was Rose & Crown.

At times in this planning, I've also thought about Tony's, BOG dinner and/or lunch, 'Ohana breakfast on departure day... It's overwhelming.

For what its worth here are my thoughts.


Coral Reef - arrival day dinner. Figure we can hit the Sea, Land, and Imagination pavilions to give us more time in WS later. - I think that this is a great spot to start out, its low key and relaxing environment. Another plus its something that the kids can enjoy, I think that they still give you a guide of all the fish in the tank, and the kids and you can look for them together. DH and I have eaten here a few times and we have always had a enjoyable meal and service.

Crystal Palace (*) - PPO or 10:30 if park hours change. - I would gage in how tired are you going to be after traveling and such then base a breakfast time on that. We have enjoyed all 3 meals here, so I think you can't really go wrong here.

Chef Mickey - dinner. Would likely be the same day as CP if I keep it.- We enjoy CM a lot, nothing like the Fab 5 and the monorail zipping thru the Resort, truly magical.... We prefer Breakfast here and have had dinner as well. You might want to flip these, if possible. Not sure if you are planning on fireworks and such, just a thought

Hollywood & Vine (*) - dinner. Mostly a keeper for the Halloween costumes. We'll be in WDW for Halloween, but are skipping the party.- If you are wanting to see the Disney Jr. characters, they are only at Breakfast and Lunch, (except for Minnie Christmas Party there, and I don't think it starts up that early) anyone know for sure?? If you really want to see the characters deck out in there Halloween costumes, I would think about the doing the Halloween party. If you go this route, then have a later lunch here then head over to MK for the evening.

Akershus (*) - PPO. So help me if they add EMH...oh, and I most certainly intend to enjoy this meal and wouldn't skip it for a ride. - You are entering the world of Princess... This is really about Princess first and foremost and food is like a added bonus, For us the food is just okay, basic scramble eggs, breakfast potatoes, sausage, bacon served family style also what they call a Norwegian Smorgasbord which has some cheese's and cold meats like peppered mackerel, dilled salmon gravlax.

Saana (*) - date night dinner with just the wife. - Fun night out enjoy..

Tusker House - Definitely want to eat here, but not sure which meal. Right now I have ADRs for dinner and a 10:30 breakfast. Thoughts? Preferences? - Food here is great, good selections for everyone. If you are looking for characters, they are only at breakfast and lunch, not unless something has changed recently.

Be Our Guest - PPO. Won't drop this unless we decide to do lunch and can get a table. Unlikely. - Dinner here is where you want to be, We had dinner here on the 4th of July it was so good, as well as service, and eating in the "Masters" castle plus you get to meet him...Cupcakes and the "Gray Stuff" Yummmmmmy...

As far as Ohana's goes, be prepared for them to be running late, Just not worth it to us and now I know a lot of people "love" it here, we just don't think that its all that as a alternate maybe go with Chef Mickeys to say goodbye and see you real soon to the Fab 5, This way you can fit in Skippers Canteen. early in the trip.... Or Kona which to us is a better breakfast and service and not as rushed.

Any way you decide.. Have a magical journey...

 

[Nancyg56]

That's kind of the way I'm leaning. Originally I had CM for our arrival day dinner, but decided to hit Epcot instead. Thanks!



TH is one of the places I'm most interested in. Another advantage to the earlier time is not being tied down to anything as the day wears on.



We live in Maine where fresh seafood grows on trees... well... you know what I mean. And it's mostly wasted on me as I only eat it once or twice a year. But the menu looks pretty good.



Ha. That's why I have 2 CP breakfasts booked. I planned a 10:30 with 8AM opening, then they moved the EMH to AK. Thankful I was able to get the 8:00.



Agreed. I think I grabbed the CM just because I wanted to have that option. I think I'll swap it out for Skipper Canteen though. The place looks great and the kids love the look of the chocolate volcano dessert.



Thanks! I think I will keep the 10:30 rather than the later one, though that means I really need to rethink my whole morning plan. I guess hit the safari right off and just mill around a bit.

Really appreciate the thoughts and feedback everyone! It really helps to unmuddle everything.

I don't blame you for grabbing any ADR you think you may need. I pick them up on my ADR day and release them as I fine-tune my plans. They are easier to release than they are to try to secure them as you draw near to your trip

 

[katt789]

-Chef Mickeys: you're not missing much, esp if you're doing Tusker as well. The food is great, I honeslty really like it, but with CP on the same day, that's A LOT of food, and money if you're paying oop. I say stuff yourselves and breakfast, snack, and the QS dinner!
-Tusker: I LOVE lunch here! Still has the characters, but has more of an African flair to the food choices, breakfast is just so standardized that it's pretty much the same as anywhere else. It can get obnoxious and loud in there, but it's HUGE and there's characters, I still LOVE it!
-Coral Reef: meh..its okay...lol. but that's just my opinion, and I've only given it one chance! Service was below average, food was okay.Atmosphere was cool, but nothing super exciting.
-Skipper Canteen: I REALLY enjoyed it! We had fabulous service, amazing food and really enjoyed the experience.
-Ohana: departure day breakfast would be an AWESOME choice, we do it all the time, and absolutely love it. I like it the best to get the EARLIEST resso available and get there right as they're opening, food is all super hot and super fresh and characters are just starting their rotation so you get them all super efficiently!

 

[speeb]

-Ohana: departure day breakfast would be an AWESOME choice, we do it all the time, and absolutely love it. I like it the best to get the EARLIEST resso available and get there right as they're opening, food is all super hot and super fresh and characters are just starting their rotation so you get them all super efficiently!

I had a 7:45a, but getting up early enough to get over there from AoA on the day we're leaving just seemed like not the most fun way to end the trip. Especially before a long day of travel.

 

[katt789]

Fair enough, I get that not wanting to add on that much extra stuff to do on a big travel day!! An easy way to get over there if you don't have a car would be to grab an Uber, much cheaper than a taxi and you'd only have to leave no later than 7?

 

[MamaMaleficent2016]

Definitely breakfast at Tusker. And Coral Reef is great with or without kids. They'll love it!

 

[Scott MC]

I can't be the only one who is tweaking dining plans week after week, right? I've made so many changes... But I feel like I'm getting closer to locking it all in and being satisfied. Here's what I have currently - (*) are my keepers.

Oh, me, wife, my mom, kids ages 4, 7, 9.

Coral Reef - arrival day dinner. Figure we can hit the Sea, Land, and Imagination pavilions to give us more time in WS later.

Crystal Palace (*) - PPO or 10:30 if park hours change.

Chef Mickey - dinner. Would likely be the same day as CP if I keep it.

Hollywood & Vine (*) - dinner. Mostly a keeper for the Halloween costumes. We'll be in WDW for Halloween, but are skipping the party.

Akershus (*) - PPO. So help me if they add EMH...oh, and I most certainly intend to enjoy this meal and wouldn't skip it for a ride.

Saana (*) - date night dinner with just the wife.

Tusker House - Definitely want to eat here, but not sure which meal. Right now I have ADRs for dinner and a 10:30 breakfast. Thoughts? Preferences?

Be Our Guest - PPO. Won't drop this unless we decide to do lunch and can get a table. Unlikely.

My questions then... Which Tusker meal would you choose? Breakfast or dinner? Right now I'm leaning toward breakfast.

I'm thinking about dumping Chef Mickey. We cover the characters with the other meals, mostly, and I'd REALLY like to try Skipper Canteen. Honestly, aside from atmosphere, I wouldn't be missing out, right?

Is Coral Reef a decent place? The kids love wildlife, so it looks great. I wouldn't want to go too far into WS, so my only other thought was Rose & Crown.

At times in this planning, I've also thought about Tony's, BOG dinner and/or lunch, 'Ohana breakfast on departure day... It's overwhelming.

On your list, the only place that makes me cringe is Chef Mickey's, but people on these boards are divided on that place. I think most will agree that the food is OK...barely, but you do get your 1 on 1 time with The Big Cheese, and some other heavy-hitters in the Disney realm, so if that's important, by all means keep it. You can also see Mickey and have a better breakfast at 'Ohana, or see Minne, Pluto and Goofy, and have my favorite breakfast at Cape May Cafe.

We LOVE Coral Reef and constantly talk about how, like Le Cellier, we're feeling like any day now, it will flip over to Signature Dining. The food is great, the atmosphere is calm and luxurious, and it's really a hidden gem! I couldn't recommend it more!

I can't speak to Tony's, but really enjoyed BOG dinner and 'Ohana Breakfast!

 

[GaryDis]

But the menu looks pretty good.

I'm surprised you would say that about the Coral Reef, especially coming from Maine.

I expect a Florida seafood restaurant to have more variety than the chain restaurants or seafood you can get anywhere. Things like grouper, bass, or red snapper down there. I'm also never impressed when they mix shellfish with fin-fish, partly because of my own biases, but partly because a fin-fish entree (mahi-mahi, in this case) should be treated as the star attraction, with flavors that add to it without competing against it.

Look at the menus for Blue Zoo, or for Deep Blu (at the Wyndham) and you'll see what I mean. The Coral Reef is at a disadvantage, being in a park, but that's not enough of an excuse to make me want to eat there.

 

[aretha30]

We love Tusker House for breakfast. The characters and food are great.

 

[speeb]

I'm surprised you would say that about the Coral Reef, especially coming from Maine.

Mostly looking at the non-fish entrees and kids meals. I don't go in for a lot of seafood.

 

[amycakes]

I'm from Nova Scotia... I'm sad that you live in Maine and don't like seafood Lol! We went to Coral Reef and the kids really enjoyed it. Sitting by the glass is nice but there are booths one level up that also have wonderful views. Our meals there were not memorable but the atmosphere made up for it. I would go to experience it... not every day you dine in an aquarium. The kids will think it is cool.

I would pick Tusker House for an early lunch. It is my son's favourite. If you pick it for breakfast that would be your 4th breakfast and there is only so many ways to dress up breakfast. The lunch buffet has some interesting selections that you may enjoy, something for everyone, and the characters are here for the children. We really did not enjoy CM last time. The food was just awful. I would enjoy the characters here instead of CM. However, I would definitely make a point of riding the monorail if you decide to forego CM. Skipper's Canteen seems like a better choice to me... but if the kids are fussy... well just peek at the menu. You could try for an Ohana dinner? Ride the monorail from the MK?

We all like Crystal Palace breakfast... it is my daughters favourite. The Pooh characters are so cute. The princess interaction is great at Askershus. My daughter had the basic package at the BBB during our princess trip and loved her princess bun... just something to consider They made a big fuss over my son, which he liked, but would not admit. We have not been to H&V.

We are going to Sanaa this year and I am really looking forward to it. Also, I have booked a BOG lunch because I was too afraid Disney would mess with the hours and then my PPO breakfast would be useless.

On departure day, my kids just want to eat at the resort and enjoy a last dip in the pool and I think rushing around might make for a cranky end to a wonderful vacation.

I have changed my ressies a thousand times ... you are not alone Lol

Have a great vacation!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Coral Reef- One word Appetizers!

Seriously some of their best options are on that section of the menu. (Gee, perhaps it's because they actually have To SELL that instead of having it part of some "free dining" package LOL!) I have made a couple of meals off the appetizers

IMHO there are too many character buffets on this plan. After a few of these so so meals i think you are going to be over it. Pick two and move on otherwise you will feel like you in that Groundhog movie as you are eating the same food over and over and over and over.. LOL!

Do your kids like spending hours at meals every day? If not I would go with the every other day plan for these sit down dinners and buffets. our kids were more about being "in the parks" then "in the restaurants'


(And Tony's was the worst food I have ever had at Disney. And that's a pretty low bar as they have served some poor choices over the years. It was basically not edible and when we said something to the waitress she pretty much said "yep all my guests tell me that" but there was no apology or attempt to make it better. )